To constantly worry that we may be wrong is diffidence. To never consider the possibility that we may be wrong is arrogance. To calmly evaluate whether we are wrong and move forward after discounting that possibility is confidence.

Life often requires us to make major decisions based on insufficient information. To achieve something great, we often need to take great risks, which means that not only are the chances of failing high, but the costs of failing could also be severe.

It’s only natural to consider whether we might be wrong. If we placed our various attitudes toward our high-stakes actions on a pendulum, one extreme would be the utter lack of confidence or a crippling diffidence—constantly worrying that we might be wrong. In such a state of mind, we may move forward only extremely half-heartedly, and we may soon move backward because of our fears. Such diffidence will get us nowhere in life in terms of doing anything worthwhile. The Bhagavad Gita addresses such chronic fearfulness as characteristic of misdirected determination in the mode of ignorance.

The other extreme of the pendulum would be arrogance, where we don’t even consider the possibility that we may be wrong. In this state, we might deride and demonize anyone who questions our decisions or judgments. We might label as “bad data” or “fake news” anything that problematizes our information and consider anyone who dares to question our authority as attacking our personal integrity. Arrogance, as the Bhagavad Gita (16.4) warns, is symptomatic of a demonic nature.

In between these two extremes is confidence. Here, we calmly consider the possibility that we might be wrong and then, after careful evaluation, dismiss it based on what we have learned. Though we can never be 100% sure, if after doing our due diligence we move forward, then that is good enough.

Can a confident person sometimes go wrong? Yes, they can. But they are ready to live with that risk because they understand that there’s no such thing as a risk-free life.

If we constantly keep worrying that we might be wrong, such thinking itself becomes a form of self-sabotage. Even if we are doing the right thing, diffidence can undermine us. On the other hand, overconfidence, which borders on the demoniac, often leads to trouble and distress. Calmly considering whether we might be wrong and then moving forward after discounting that possibility is the mark of true confidence.

Summary:

  • The Bhagavad Gita (16.4) distinguishes confidence from the two extremes of diffidence and arrogance, teaching that true confidence lies in calmly evaluating whether we may be wrong and then moving forward after due diligence.
  • Chronic self-doubt paralyzes us from doing anything worthwhile, whereas arrogance refuses to even consider the possibility of error and often leads to destructive consequences.
  • Though confidence cannot guarantee success, it accepts the unavoidable risks of life without allowing either fear or pride to dictate one’s decisions.

Think it over:

  • Recollect any incident when you saw someone paralyzed by chronic self-doubt. What can you learn from it?
  • Recollect an incident when you saw someone who never considered the possibility that they might be wrong and what this mentality resulted in.
  • Contemplate any decision you need to make and how you could approach it with confidence.

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16.04 Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness and ignorance – these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Pṛthā.